


The Stray NightGale

by CaptainNightGale



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: (If they could be together I would totally let them), (but the other isn't my character and my friend has her life mapped out), (literally and metaphorically), (sorry), (that's not my fault), Coming of Age, Found Family, Gen, I'm hoping I won't mess that up but I might also time skip blithely past that, Own Characters - Freeform, Unrequited Love, War, battles and bloodshed and regret galore, it's in the future everyone canon is dead, still going for those league badges dammit, the realisation hits over the course of the story, trans main character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 23:31:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14147028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainNightGale/pseuds/CaptainNightGale
Summary: War has broken out between Johto and Kanto, but Sinnoh is mostly untouched... but for the mysterious disappearances of many young girls, and the occasional port-scuffle between untraceable people.To Alanna, living in Snowpoint, this is all distant and unrelated. She just wants to travel and become a pokemon trainer... and maybe find the family she never knew.When she gets the chance, she leaves - and soon gets caught up in the war behind the war, finding more than she ever bargained for.This is a sort of spin-off of my main big-ass pokemon fanfic to which all my smaller fics are in some way related.But it's also far further down the line than anything I've written otherwise, so it's only a vague relation.





	The Stray NightGale

“You should ask,” Mike said, tucking his coat sleeve into his glove. “I don’t see why she wouldn’t let you.”

“It’s… complicated.” Alanna looked away.

“Still.” Mike punched her gently in the shoulder. “Try to catch up with me, will you? I won’t wait around.”

Alanna smiled. “I’ll _try_.”

Mike nodded and pulled his goggles over his eyes, settling himself down on the back of the snowmobile. “See you!”

“Have fun!” Alanna called over the snowmobile’s motor starting up.

Mike waved back and then he was gone, being driven away into the snowfields.

Skell cheeped on her shoulder as Alanna slowly lowered her hand, nuzzling into her neck. She raised a hand to stroke him, still watching the snowfields even though there was nothing there to see.

Then she turned and trudged through the permanent thin layer snow, heading towards the lake.

“We’ll get out some day, Skell,” she whispered, ducking under a branch. “She has to let us out, doesn’t she?”

The starly cheeped again, fluffing out his feathers.

“Yeah, well… it’s complicated.” Alanna stopped by the lake and stared across at the cavern. “I could use a bit of help, Uxie.”

“What sort of help?”

Alanna jumped as the monk walked around the lake towards her. “Sorry! I didn’t realise you were here–”

“It’s fine.” He smiled. “The lake is here for all.”

Alanna nodded, soothing Skell.

“What do you need help with? If… it is not too forward of me to ask.”

“It’s – well…” Alanna sighed. “My friend left today, to go travelling. And I…”

“You want to go as well?” the monk prompted, when she trailed off.

She nodded. “But I don’t think mam’ll let me.”

“Who is your mother?”

“Grace. Grace NightGale.”

“Ah…” He nodded in understanding. “I think I can understand why.”

“Can you tell me, then?”

He considered her for a moment, then shook his head. “That’s not something you should hear from me.”

Alanna scowled and kicked at the snow.

“Why don’t you just ask her?”

“About leaving? She just says I’m too young, or I’m not ready or it’s too dangerous… it’s not fair!”

“She does have some good points… how old are you?”

“Twelve.”

The monk smiled a little. “So you are still young.”

“I'm almost thirteen. Mike’s not _that_ much older.” Alanna pouted. “And I’ve heard of people going out younger.”

“But not from Snowpoint. We’re tucked away up here, our trainers are often older.”

“But I said I’d meet up with him.” She frowned, rubbing her arm.

“Then you can only ask.”

Alanna sighed and nodded. “I guess…”

“There is no time like the present,” he suggested, smiling. “Go on.”

“Um – thanks.” Alanna looked up at him and smiled. “Really.”

“Go.”

Alanna turned and darted away, running into the thin strip of forest between the lake and the town.

 

“Mam?” Alanna stepped into the room they shared.

“Yes, Alanna?” Grace looked up from her knitting.

“Um – I was wondering, since I have Skell and all…”

The starly in question fluffed up and resettled his feathers, chirping sweetly.

Grace rested her knitting on her knees, examining her daughter. “You want to travel?”

Alanna nodded mutely.

Grace sighed. “It’s dangerous out there, Alanna.”

“I know, but I have Skell, and the trainers in the gym say it’s worth it to travel, even for a little while – I know how to defend myself, I learnt with the monks.”

“I know you do. It’s just…”

“That war.” Alanna shut the door and sat down on her bed with a thump. “But I’ll just be another traveller, they won’t bother me.”

“You’ll be another _female_ traveller – and a young one, at that. They could go after you.”

“Mam, please?”Alanna kicked her heels up, pushing off her shoes. “I swear I’ll be careful.”

Grace frowned and looked closer at Alanna. “You’re going no matter what, aren’t you?”

“No! I wouldn’t go if you didn’t want me to.” Alanna bit her lip. “But… I would _like_ to.”

Grace smiled a little. “And I suppose I knew this day would come, eventually.”

“So – you’ll let me go?” Alanna looked up, eyes bright.

Grace nodded and put her knitting to the side as she stood up. “Yes. But… take this with you.” She looked along the shelves and picked down a slightly dusty ultra ball. “I know, you’ve got your own pokémon now. “But he’s only one, and a flying type at that.”

Alanna took the ball carefully and dusted it off. “What is it?”

“A sneasel. Dark-ice and _very_ fast. She’ll keep you safe until you get out of the snowfields, ok?”

Alanna nodded. “Ok. Thanks, mam.” She smiled up at her.

Grace smiled back and hugged her daughter. “I was thinking of leaving Snowpoint, anyway. And if you’re off travelling, there’s no need for me to be here.”

“You’re going h – back to your family?”

“The ridge is home to me, Alanna, even if this place is your home. But yes. I’ve sent them a letter, so they’ll be coming to collect me soon.”

Alanna hesitated.

“Go off on your journey. They won’t mind, and you can always meet them later.”

Alanna nodded. “Alright.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Um… maybe tomorrow, I guess?”

Grace drew in a sharp breath. “So soon?”

“Well… I kinda promised Mike…” Alanna trailed off, looking away. “Sorry. Maybe not, then.”

“No, no, you just took me by surprise. You might need more time to get ready, get your supplies together.”

“Oh.” Alanna smiled a little guiltily. “I didn’t really think about that.”

Grace laughed. “Well, you’ll need to think about it a bit more from now on, won’t you?”

“Guess so.” Alanna nodded.

“So what will you need?”

“Um… food? A bag?”

“A shelter of some kind? You won’t always be near a town.”

“Do we – how are we going to get this stuff?” Alanna asked. “It’s… going to be expensive, isn’t it?”

Grace smiled and walked across to her bed, crouching down. “You know, back when I first came here… I was thinking of travelling around a bit myself.” She pulled out a semi-packed rucksack. “And I think I was a wee bit more prepared than you are.”

Alanna squealed in delight and scrambled across to join her on the floor, pulling out the contents. Skell chirped and fluttered from her shoulder, dislodged.

Inside the bag was a neatly packed one-man tent, a stove – complete with fuel and matches – a first aid kit, a compass, and some empty boxes.

“We’ll still have to get you food, but the basics are here.”

“Thank you!” Alanna flung her arms around Grace’s neck, knocking her back onto the floor.

Grace gasped, caught off guard as she thumped into the floor, and then laughed with her daughter, rolling her over to tickle Alanna until she was pleading for peace.

“You’ll still need clothes, of course,” Grace said, grinning down at Alanna. “And some money, I suppose.”

“I can make that battling, can’t I?”

“Not at first.” Grace shakes her head, letting Alanna up. “And not always. Not all trainers will give you money. Some might give you berries, or other useful items.”

“Right.” Alanna sat up. “So how do I make money, then?”

“Trade for berries, or skills. Some people might take up small jobs in towns they pass through. And centres have free rooms and food for trainers, so take advantage of that when you can.”

Alanna nodded, watching as her mother repacked the bag.

“And you want food that can last, so no cakes.” Grace smiled, poking Alanna in the stomach. “Alright?”

Alanna giggled. “Alright, I won’t.”

Grace stood up. “We’ll get that sorted tomorrow, though. Get your clothes packed just now.”

Alanna nodded and ran to pull out her meagre supply of clothes, beginning to stuff them haphazardly into the bag.

Grace watched, sighing.

“What?” Alanna slowed down, looking up.

“Keep them folded, they’ll go in neater and take up less room.”

Alanna nodded and pulled out her clothes, refolding them and putting them back in carefully.

“That’s better.”


End file.
